Dear Friend,

Happy Giving Tuesday!

I hope you all enjoyed a restful Thanksgiving. This time of year always makes me particularly grateful for the community I get to serve. Not one day has passed this year where I’m not amazed by the generosity and spirit of southern Brooklyn. Despite all the ways in which the pandemic has tried to isolate and divide us, our community continues to lift each other up.

Whether my favorite local spot in Marine Park is donating food to a local shelter, or the volunteers at Bay Ridge Cares are piling up pantry items -- I see acts of kindness every single day in our neighborhood. Our sense of community is what makes Brooklyn different.

That’s why I want to take a moment this holiday season to encourage you, friend, to get involved with some charities doing great work. Whether you can donate or volunteer your time, these charities need all the support they can get in order to help our city and community recover from COVID and thrive in the new year.

1. CUNY Giving Tuesday

As a CUNY alum myself, I know firsthand how transformative a CUNY college education is. CUNY Tuesday is a giving campaign that removes financial barriers like tuition, stipends, and board for students who might not be able to attend CUNY schools otherwise.

2. IRC NYC

The International Rescue Committee in New York City provides the support necessary for refugees to thrive in America—whether ensuring children are enrolled in school, adults become self-reliant through employment or starting businesses, or families receive acute medical care they need to recover from trauma or illness.

3. Breaking Ground

At Breaking Ground, solving homelessness means more than providing housing. Breaking Ground provides wraparound services, like benefits assistance, mental health care, and self-sufficiency programs, in order to allow homeless New Yorkers to transform their own lives. They help more than 8,000 vulnerable New Yorkers annually.

4. Families for Safe Streets

This organization confronts the epidemic of traffic violence through advocacy and support. They have saved countless lives through our work lowering the speed limit, installing speed cameras in school zones, re-engineering dangerous intersections, and changing the culture of reckless driving.

I know this time of year is always busy, but I hope you’ll consider chipping in to support these life-changing organizations.

I wish you all the best this holiday season. Thank you for your love and support of our community.

In service,